Cytoplasmic receptors for glucocorticoid hormones are found ubiquitously among animal tissues. Little is known about the role these hormones play during the embryological development of these various tissues. Such knowledge might be crucial in light of the side-spread clinical applications of these hormones. We are examining the regulation of several specific genes in differentiating muscle cell cultures. Hopefully these studies will explicate the role of glucocorticoid hormones in regulating gene expression in myoblastic cells as well as the affect that modulating these genes might have on development. Our investigations will also lend insight into the mechanism by which these hormones regulate the expression of a specific set of genes.